Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-12-17
LARMAR ON LAND GRANTS

E1-Secretary Lamar hes most aesur- edly level head on land grants claimed 10 be derived from She Spenish CT Next can governments. h kIs report, If which .bo following is c Srief synopsis, he toV0rr immediate Legislation. aud this Legislation, he says, should be di- Tec'e3 Co two points first to providing trial aud final de.srmination cf such claims, subject only to appeal 70 the Su- Preme Court; second SD 60, Of limitation barring :he presentation Of new clains of tkIs cha-ac.e; within c stated period. The extent md number of .he uucon- frmed claims sre being continually made, and these heretofore presented seem to grow enormously in area with passing each year. At tbs present time it is approximately estimated that the amount of public land actually reserTed from public entry aud settlement be- cause of such clsims is little short of 6,000,O00 of acres. Most of this land has been thus reserved for many pears, useA, enjoyed or transferred and sold as freely b. the preiended claimants ss though their title he'd been fully confirmed. "Cls;mEnIs 10 these re- served lands have but to pass the ordeal of the surveyor generals office, where the examination is expRrte, often perfume tory, superficial md possibly erroneous. favorable report being obtained, the lsg steps in, ousts the ilrisiic:ion ot .he Land Department from the claimed territory, scGregates it from the publ:c iomeip, and the clsimant under this most shsdovy and often colorless pre- tense of title IS installed and protected in the enjoyment of sll he claims, ss though possessed of Bn absolute right and file. The claimant being thus guarded snd protected in his enjoyment until Congress nets, has no motive 10 follow u2 further a-ti,n by COGsrcs7, after the report oi Inc surveyor zeneFI has been trsnsrnitto5 to that byiy, for shilss tke report sleeps in the commit tee room, his possession Gn3 ericyme1, Df th.s vast estste mains u1distuTbe5. l need not go further to show The ic- dncernents thus heli ous to inc present ssica oi fsise claims resting on fo1dn- lions SO shRdovy that under other cir crm5tances 70 ono wcnld be tempted to rely upon them. izi hence to -dcy thii ' thTec year after the pnssage ot the act. as is shown by he re9or! fiom Zoe General Lsnl Ofc5. tacra is bCt lis.le a5sieC3ut h either tha number v eKs,rt of lho c,a;n.s being presented io the lsnI ofi.ers."
 The secretary, while aok-DTieGC;oG that "oPinions differ" Es sa the besi manner o2 dealiaE. with .hese real n-l fcf.tiau= 'aa1 g--ntF, believes that ttr|
 net lerif.hlo and effective manner ot ira,.oairs o. Hem vouid be th:cach he i.4I deUgrim5hts from which a7rssr -c-'4 Er i--0 t-- ste Secretary oI .i.e r ser.-.. vr7=s 55a:si-r saoall ae E4--, -.l-ss- .i a1.csl =--u.- os .E-- 5i.-c'y il-ra'-.- C. .oF o.- 5rsns Cont o.t1- T--;c- Si-fe-. Wl-. in t1c ss4-te, tac Secretary issoE-5 ,ot- ...usaf f .-,e. ci-.s-- shscugh tLe c-- i.naTy tribunals e; .ls c5u-sry tu. - larger ex.eriaEcs hes forced lim 50 t-e conclusion tl1t .ao 5ifTosi.lcG ot gov aumens laass ''5aalo. wisely be ioit is s-b-trGce-t of the ,oal c5usis, EhicA are more or !ess under iocsl juG.eacsa 3ud supposed 50 synPL4sL.z3 wal
 ls iLGiYidual claimant 8s 8Glinlt t-e go7ernE snt, and Sc be inclined to deA- zi.b bis pretsatioDs ia e sgiut Ct undue iterslity without due TegaFd io legal rishiz." The existing method which re- aaires .Ae action Of congress, should, he thinks, be abandoned, inssmuch Gs the raschinery possessed by congress is not well adapted for the investigation Of such claims. and to tbe suggestion that special committees sit at special times, 10 hear end dispose of such claims, he presents equally vigorous objections, but says that sll must agree that 1t is high time that these foreign grants be settled one way or another. He therefore rec onmends that en act of limitation be passed barring all claims unless present. ed before stated period and the final disposition made of of all claims present. sj. ip accordance with bis views as above set forth.